


Breathe In

by jessaverant



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Fluff, Human Names, M/M, Prompt: Sleeping, World Meeting (Hetalia), just so much fluff, secret santa gift
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-25 20:07:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17127920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessaverant/pseuds/jessaverant
Summary: In a world full of tension and strife, Matthew and Abel find a moment to breathe. | Secret Santa gift for the 2018 Rare Pair Hetalia Christmas Exchange





	Breathe In

**Author's Note:**

> 'Abel' is the human name for Netherlands I've used and 'Emma' is Belgium. I hope sothatgrass enjoys!

Once again, it was raining.

Somehow, it was always raining, at least in recent days. Abel stood at the window, staring skywards through blurred, rain-slicked windows.

_ One, two, breathe in. _ He did so.  _ One, two, breathe out. _ Abel closed his eyes as his breath trailed low, imagining strands of silken smoke retreating with it. His pipe was sitting heavy in his inner coat pocket, and after spending hours in a room with no windows under harsh fluorescent lights, he wanted nothing more than to recline in the sun and relax.

But it was raining.

_ One, two, three, four. Yeah, just like that. _

Turning away from the window, Abel glanced back down the hallway towards the sitting room, where several other nations were chit chatting with an afternoon coffee and tea refresher. He listened for Emma's voice among them, and when he didn't hear her, he pocketed his hands and walked off in the other direction. 

He chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip as he walked, listening to the rain  _ pitter-patter _ at the windows. The building was old, not  _ old _ old but old enough, with a central heating system still powered by a wood fire that reminded him of long-ago winters. He passed into another hallway, where the din of the others quieted to a dull mumble, and came across a set of French doors that were partially opened. The rest of the hall was dark save for a single lantern at the very end, and the light pouring through the doors was warm and inviting. Abel glanced left and right and then placed his hand on the door, peeking inside.

It was a library. A small, homegrown library, probably once belonging to the former lord or earl of this huge old house. Shelves were built right into the walls, decorated with a simple filigree cornice at the top and set deep. A sleeping hearth was at the back of the room, and sitting in the center was a plush loveseat. A scattering of overstuffed armchairs filled out the rest of the space, with several ornate lamps providing the warm lighting that had drawn Abel to the room in the first place. The love seat in the center had a single occupant, a large book in their lap, their head resting against the edge of the sofa as they slumbered thoughtfully. Abel couldn't help but smile.

_ I know it feels kind of... silly? But it's the only thing that calms me down when I get into an argument with Al. _

"Matthew," Abel murmured, pushing the door open wide enough for him to squeeze through. The tinny whine of the old hinges startled the person on the sofa, and Matthew lifted his head, blinking. His glasses were sitting on the very edge of his nose and he removed them and rubbed his eyes.

"Abel?" Matthew responded, voice tinged in sleep. Abel pulled the French doors closed behind him and returned to his hands in his pockets, still watching Matthew as the former stretched and cracked his joints. "What're you doin' here?"

"Meeting just got out," Abel explained. "What are  _ you _ doing here?" Matthew glanced down at the book in his lap.

"Reading," he answered simply, grinning up at Abel. Abel couldn't stop the warmth in his cheeks or the smile that crossed his face as he was met with Matthew's grin, and Matthew sat up and patted the cushion beside him. "Our meeting got out a little while ago, and I needed to just... get away for a bit." Abel sat down beside Matthew, moving his hands from his pockets to his lap. His pipe banged against his waist and he so  _ desperately _ wanted to go someplace to smoke it, even if it was only to do something with his twitching hands.

_ One, two. Breathe in _ . Abel took a deep breath, and let it out slowly through his nose. Matthew watched in silence for a few moments before speaking.

"I see the calm breathing technique is working?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. Abel gave a short nod and turned back to face Matthew. It was a pleasant surprise, running into the owner of the voice that had been running through his mind throughout the entire meeting. 

_ One, two. Breathe out. _

"It's helpful. 'Specially when dealing with...  _ them _ ," Abel said, jabbing his head towards the door. Matthew gave a solemn nod in understanding. 

"Yeah, that's just about how I feel right about now," Matthew said, chuckling. "My meeting ended in... yelling. Lots of it."

"At least you only have to deal with a handful of them," Abel commented. Matthew scoffed and shook his head. "No?"

"It was a NAFTA meeting," Matthew said, sliding closer to Abel and grinning again. "Felt like I was in a room of thirty though, with the way those two can fight." Matthew reached over and placed his hand on top of Abel's, which was still resting on his thigh. In one swift, familiar movement, Abel turned his hand over and clasped Matthew's fingers between his, giving him a gentle squeeze, all without breaking his gaze from Matthew's smiling face. 

"I was gonna text you to come meet me here," Matthew said in a soft voice. "But my phone is dead."

"It's alright," Abel responded. "I found you anyway." With that, Matthew leaned in and placed a kiss to Abel's lips, which Abel responded to by releasing Matthew's hand and placing both of his own on Matthew's cheeks, to Matthew's surprise. Abel pulled away but kept his forehead pressed to Matthew's, instead nuzzling into the crook of his nose and basking in Matthew's presence.

When Abel opened his eyes again, he was met with the sight of Matthew, eyes still closed, cheeks pink, smiling. Abel swallowed the desire to kiss every inch of his face and instead pulled away, giving Matthew a shake. "Matt?"

"Hmm?" Matthew mumbled, opening his eyes. "I'm awake." Abel raised one eyebrow. 

"No yer not," he scolded. "Jetlag?"

"Probably," Matthew said, closing his eyes again. "I'm just gonna-- gonna go back to resting my eyes now." Abel dropped his hands from Matthew's cheeks and allowed Matthew to lean against his shoulder, where Matthew closed his eyes once again. Abel leaned over and picked up the book that Matthew had been reading, turning it over in his hands. The covers were blank.

"It's a book of poetry," Matthew said from his shoulder in a tired voice. 

"In French," Abel commented as he opened the book. He tapped his fingers restlessly against the cover as he read the first one he found, wondering how he would re-word it in Dutch to keep the rhyming couplets intact. 

"What do you think?" Matthew asked, eyes still closed. His glasses were in his hands in his lap, where Abel caught him absently rubbing his thumb against one of the lenses. 

"Not bad," Abel said. "Although, it's no Vondel." Matthew chuckled. Abel turned the page and continued to read. It really wasn't all that bad; it appeared to be a book of ametuer love poetry, a compilation put together by university students. As Matthew's breathing evened out beside him, Abel settled into the sofa and accepted this version of his usual peace after a long meeting.

As he read, his thoughts drifted back to the nation currently using him as a pillow. He was sure that some of Matthew's fatigue was jetlag, but he knew the other better than most. Matthew hadn't been sleeping well, and it was starting to weigh on him. The circles under his eyes were unusual, as were the lines etched into his forehead. Normally so vibrant in his quiet way, Matthew seemed... faded. The last time they had spent time together, Abel had attempted to convince the workaholic to take a vacation, a request Matthew had laughed off. 

_ "Unnecessary," Matthew had insisted. "I'm fine. Besides, I have a few planned soon anyway."  _

He had been lying, and Abel knew it. Somewhere deep in the house, a grandfather clock chimed the hour: six p.m. Dinner was at six-thirty, with a 'social' element afterwards. That either meant everyone avoiding everyone else while getting drunk or everyone fighting with everyone else while getting drunk. Abel found he wasn't much interested in either. 

A pair of heavy footsteps in the hallway startled Matthew awake, who sat up with a jolt. Voices followed, and Abel held his breath, wondering if someone were about to discover them hiding inside the library. Thankfully, the footsteps and voices past, heading downstairs and towards the dining room. 

"You hungry?" Abel asked, and Matthew scrunched his eyes shut and shook his head. 

"Just tired," he mumbled. He tousled his curls and licked his lips, clearly only half awake. Abel placed a hand on Matthew's arm and was guiding him back towards his shoulder, when Matthew suddenly brought his legs up onto the sofa and laid down in Abel's lap instead. Abel lifted his hands in surprise, but only sighed. Matthew wrapped his arms around his head like a pillow and closed his eyes, his glasses still clasped in his hand. Abel gently wedged them from his grip and placed them on the end table, where the book of poetry was currently residing. Abel leaned back, placing one arm over the back of the sofa, and used his other arm to draw the book closer to him, opening it and holding it in front of him.

He began to ease into the contact between them, and after a few minutes, Abel lowered his hands to his lap. Matthew appeared to be fast asleep, curled up like a cat, warm and sated. Abel watched Matthew breathe, trying to follow the pattern himself.

_ One, two, breathe out. One, two, breathe in. One, two, breathe out. One, two, breathe in. _

Slowly, Abel lowered his free hand to Matthew's head, threading the blond curls through his fingers. Matthew sighed in his sleep at the touch, but didn't stir. With a grunt, Abel kicked his shoes off and continued carding through Matthew's hair, turning back to the poetry book. The pair sat in comfortable, drifting silence, only accompanied by the sound of the rain outside. Abel became consumed with the book, enamored with the language of young love in the quiet. He continued to ruffle through Matthew's hair, eventually drawing his fingertips against Matthew's scalp, causing Matthew to shiver. 

Every so often Matthew would take a deep breath in his sleep, shifting slightly, sometimes accompanied by a soft snore, but never waking. Abel was now resting his hand in a loosely closed fist on Matthew's head, a lock of hair between his forefinger and thumb. He hadn't even noticed time had passed until that same grandfather clock announced that it was now seven p.m., and an hour had gone by. Abel looked up from the book, wondering if Emma or someone else were going to come find them. 

"Abel?" Abel looked down in surprise at the voice coming from his lap. Matthew turned slight to see him, one eye open. "Wha time izzit?"

"About seven," Abel responded. "Go back to sleep."

"You sure?" Matthew asked, gesturing to Abel's lap. Abel offered a lopsided smile and turned back to the book. 

"I'm sure."

"A'right," Matthew mumbled, turning back over. " _ Ik hou van jou _ , Abel."

" _ Je t'aime _ , Matthew," Abel responded. Matthew mumbled something back but it was lost in the creases of Abel's slacks. "What was that?"

" _ Je t'adore, _ " Matthew said, turning back to look at Abel. Abel stared at him in surprise, unprepared for the additional endearments. His cheeks flushed and he turned back to the book, placing his hand on Matthew's shoulder. Abel started rubbing small circles into Matthew's tight shoulder muscles, and Matthew sighed in contentment in his lap, easily falling back asleep.

\---

When someone finally came across them hours later, both were fast asleep on the sofa. Matthew was curled up on his side, still lying in Abel's lap. Abel was still sitting at the end of the sofa, but his arm was draped over Matthew's shoulder and he was leaning on the sofa arm, his other arm propping him up as he slept. The book lay abandoned on the floor where it had fallen.

The person who found them, instead of waking them and ushering them to bed, tiptoed into the room and drew the curtains, turned down the lights, and fetched a blanket from the closet in the corner. He draped the blanket over Matthew's shoulders and over one of Abel's sides as best as he could, and then tiptoed back out, closing the doors as he went. He was about to head to his own room when someone turned down the hall and jumped in surprise at seeing someone.

"Alfred?" Emma cried, and Alfred held a finger to his lips. He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at the doors behind him. 

"You'll wake them!" he hissed as Emma scurried down the hallway towards him. 

"Who's 'them'?" Emma asked, her arms full of spare blankets. Alfred gently pulled the French doors open just enough for them to peer inside. Emma let out a soft gasp and nearly dropped her bundles in surprise.

"Is this where they've been?" she whispered as Alfred leaned over her. 

"I think so. Matt's been super tired all day, and he definitely wanted a quiet place to hide," Alfred said. "Not surprised that Abel found him here, either."

"Our brothers are like magnets," Emma muttered from beneath Alfred. "Always drawn to one another." They closed the doors and stood up straight. "Well, that explains why Abel wasn't at dinner."

"I assumed Matt would eventually end up back in his room," Alfred admitted. "But they look very cozy in there."

"They do, don't they?" Emma said, grinning at Alfred. Alfred grinned back. The pair walked off, leaving their brothers to sleep into the rainy evening. 

_ One, two, breathe out. One, two, breathe in. _

**Author's Note:**

> This past summer I went to an event at an old mansion that had been turned into a hotel/meeting space and that's what I was envisioning for this house they're in. 
> 
> I listened to the 'A Little Princess' soundtrack incessantly while writing this to create that soft atmosphere I hope I achieved. I've always been rather neutral on this pairing but after writing this I find them incredibly sweet :)


End file.
